Contemplating Compatibility
by mariosonic
Summary: Can the two actually exist together? Is it even possible? BowserxPeach
1. Chapter 1

_Contemplating Compatibility_

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Another BxP...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used.

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By my grandfather's marmalade!_

A small toad with large brown spots dotting his mushroom head exclaimed in his head as he sat in a large purple chair that threatened to envelope him as a wooden clock on the wall chimed the time very loudly within his small office, the large wrinkles that covered his face becoming more evident as he leaned forward into the sunlight lighting his office through a large arched glass window that was to the left of his position.

Toadsworth looked upon the two "love birds" sitting in the chairs in front of him as he sighed.

One was a princess, a very beautiful one at that, who always wore pink dresses and pink lipstick, bright blonde hair on her head and blue eyes that melted her caretaker's heart every time she was in trouble, her cheeks tinting to a deep shade of red when embarrassed at being caught or in admittance to her part in the childish pranks she did when she was a child. Blue earrings on her ears and a sapphire pendant on her chest glaring partially because of the sunlight that lit the "cozy" room.

The other...a gigantic reptile with a green shell with spikes poking up out of it on the back, beige snout sticking out of his face like that of Mario's nose, whose orangish scales and spiked black bracelets that encircled his arms and neck glittered in the same sunlight that now bathed Toadsworth's face, sat very lightly on the chair underneath him, fearing that it might break under his weight as he was very heavy beast. His large tail with small spikes adorning it stayed absolutely still as his eyes stared ahead at the old counsellor to the princess

He was almost double the princess's height but that seemed not to bother either of them.

They both were waiting for Toadsworth's answer to the previously voiced topic.

"I'm not so sure about this..." he started.

"Do koopas even have relationships such as the one you are proposing?" he asked with all seriousness.

"Yes!!"

A look of disbelief came over the toad that infuriated the Dark Land's king even more.

"What! You think we are just animals that are dumb and mindless?!" an aggravated Bowser shouted back, tired of Toadsworth's lack of knowledge about his race.

His frustration starting to overwhelm him as Toadsworth sighed again...for the fourth time.

Bowser was right in thinking that the Mushroom Kingdom did not know very much about koopas at all.

"What about children?"

Bowser stared at him, glaring.

"I have eight children."

"And how did they come about?"

Bowser suddenly became quiet, turning and staring at the wall in anger. The wall probably would have burst into flames in that very moment if Bowser hadn't restrained himself from releasing his pent up anger.

"Is your species even compatible with humans?"

At this, Princess Peach's face revealed her shock as a gasp escaped her lips.

Bowser turned toward the aging toad with hatred in his flaming red eyes.

He suddenly stood up, the chair getting pushed far back from the momentum of the motion, and walked towards Toadsworth, grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket and stomped out from Toadsworth's office and into a different adjoining room, a storage closet filled with records of the Mushroom Kingdom's history that hadn't been cleaned in ages.

Peach's hand slapped her forehead with a very audible sound when she heard Bowser's shell hit the floor in the other room with a loud thud.

_Did he really have to got that far?_

_That's not going to prove to him anything other then..._

The oak door opened again to a smirking Bowser, shell back on his frame, and a very red faced Toadsworth, covered in dust, who walked very slowly to his desk and sat down, his cheeks aflame from embarrassment and indignity as the dirt on him leapt to the fabric of his chair.

Bowser slowly walked back to his chair, pulling it back to its original position before carefully sitting down, smirk still on his giant face.

Toadsworth coughed into his hand before he spoke but couldn't stop himself from coughing again mid-sentence "I...will have to...cough...think about it..."

Peach sighed with relief.

At least it wasn't a no.

She looked over at Bowser, his red eyes softening from their previous demeanor at the sight of her face.

They both wanted to tie the knot, but Peach had wanted Toadsworth's approval before going and doing something that would destroy her already precarious position on the throne. Since she really didn't care for the royal life she had been born into she was tempted to just disappear and pretend to stay kidnapped and elope with Bowser and become queen over the Dark Lands.

Toadsworth treated her like his own daughter and it only seemed right to her to ask for his blessing.

But he was really strange some times...

Especially when it came to things concerning the person she loved or had been chosen to love.

He had never approved of Bowser from the beginning, still wary of the one that had constantly kidnapped her.

Worrying constantly on what was good for her, a giant koopa was not the kind of king he wanted to rule Mushroom Kingdom.

He thought his questions were justifiable.

_She was in love with a koopa?_

_An animal?_

_How did she find Bowser attractive?_

Toadsworth kept replaying in his mind the looks the both of them had given to the other. Another image tried to pry its way back into his mind, a very recent and unpleasant one that he immediately banished and condemned to the fiery pits of Barrel Volcano.

Again he tried to focus on their faces to gain some insight into the situation and how enamoured they were with each other.

The princess's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment at some of the more bold looks the reptile sent her as Toadsworth watched them in silence.

Princess Peach had such a perfect face on the outside, but if one waited they could see the tired looks in her eyes that continued to endure underneath all the pressures of royalty, the never ending demand from her subjects for her attention, like a needy child that wanted what it screamed for at that exact moment or they wouldn't stop crying and throwing fits. Her golden blonde hair flittering about her face as it complimented her pale white skin that she had gained from not being able to tan since the vacation she was supposed to be taking was interrupted by the Dark Land's king's son. She looked wonderful right now, the happiness her face permeated as the monster entered either into her eyesight or mind. Basking in a light of almost complete bliss that seemed to radiate off of her as she gazed longingly at the one she loved. Blue eyes straying into a world of confusion as they continued to flicker their attention between the two in the room as the silence continued.

Her entire body contrasted with that of Bowser.

His large combination of scaly green and yellow face was repulsive to the eyes as was his large snout, his unkept red flowing mane of hair dancing about as the large being shifted his position precariously on the wooden chair he sat upon. Sharp pointy fangs set inside his large maw increased the chances of frightening anyone who saw him dramatically, along with the yellow horns sitting equal distance away from his nose on either side on the top of his head. One large bushy red eyebrow rose in question as he waited for Toadsworth to say something more, his red eyes staring blankly at the unresponsive toad. He too was showing the signs of joy and contentment with being so close to the princess but was having a hard time keeping his gruff exterior and tail from wagging around others when she was about. She had stolen the key and unlocked the heart that had been hidden away from everything that had tried to consume it. The princess had become his world, the thing he now wanted more then anything. It had been all for her. Those conquests, raids, wars, were all for the love he now had. All that suffering for everyone because of one person who once rejected his advances.

Toadsworth still did not know when she had finally reciprocated the love Bowser had been trying to give but had been unrequited up until some undisclosed moment in time.

_Did she suddenly have sympathy for the monster?_

He continued to ponder silently in the awkward silence that filled the room, as both guests fidgeted in unease. Thoughts that the princess had taken the response to the situation after being kidnapped and held for long periods of time that in our world would be described as Stockholm syndrome.

Things were not that easy in the presumably wonderful land of the Mushroom Kingdom. Especially how disruptive the land was getting with the many petty squabbles that began to arise. Many concerning the return of Mario at some point, the reign of the princess and whether she was a good ruling monarch or not, the decisions she made were being protested and fought against as she tried her hardest to appease everyone. She needed someone to help her, to hold her, to keep her afloat in the trying times she was in. It appeared Bowser was the one who was there when everything came crashing down, the one who tried to help her rebuild and begin again.

That was Toadsworth's assumption anyway.

Problems resulting from there relationship kept filling the old toad's head, the thought of a koopa ruler scared him and would mostly likely there would be an uproar throughout the whole kingdom. There already would be once the whole kingdom found out about their relationship. Right now only some of the palace's residents knew of it and had been sworn to secrecy till the time came for them to reveal their feelings for each other to the rest of the world, though it wouldn't be long till it was leaked out to the public.

_Look what he has done to his own kingdom, the way he treats his subjects and his own family._

_Did the "anthropomorphic" creature even know what love means or is?_

No, it wasn't that he was totally against it entirely. Of course he wanted his little princess to be happy and the warring kingdoms to finally unite and have peace after such a long time of strife and endangerment from invasion, but, he just had to be...careful...for her.

Cautious.

That thing had to prove that he was worthy of being able to marry a princess.

Shaking his head as the two left his office after quietly dismissing them.

Their hands found their way to be together, her small white gloved hand in his giant scaly paw that completely enclosed her's as the large oak door that lead out of his office closed she seemed to move closer to the reptile that walked along side her, leaning on the behemoth as the golden crown on her head reflected the light that was streaming into the hallway, the once still appendage attached to the back of the ruler of the Dark Lands began to make small swishes in the air that revealed the monarch's mood with just that small motion.

The red carpet that covered the cobbled stone floors being left for the grassy grounds of the castle's garden as they continued to leave his presence to be alone with themselves.

Hopefully for the reasons of some quiet reflection and banter between the two about the things ahead **IF** he did give his stamp of approval.

_Bowser has eight children...does she know what she's getting into?_

Eight little terrors that helped their father do many atrocious acts.

Like stealing princesses and ravaging the country side.

_Ruining my vacation!_

This much he could attest to since Bowser allowed his _**youngest**_ son, whom he had _**lied**_ to about his mother's identity, to gallivant about with a _**dangerous**_ magic paintbrush that had almost destroyed everything Isle Delfino held as their image to the world.

They were not disciplined in his eyes.

How would he treat the princess if he couldn't take care of his children.

_No...if he really, truly wants to marry her, he will have to prove himself._

A smile graced his beige face as he leaned back in the velvety chair.

_Yes, he will have to work very hard to earn the right._

Though he still had doubts about some things though.

_Were humans and koopas really compatible? _

_Could the two kingdoms really have peace after so much anger between them?  
_

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Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls that encompassed the beautiful garden that had been tended with the greatest care that Princess Peach's servants good give. It was her sanctuary, her place away from world where she could be herself. Where the wind could fly by free through her fingers and her hair, could rush past her face giving her a sense of calm reassurance that this crown wasn't all there was to her life. The large sycamore trees growing with brush and bushes filling the wholes in between filling the spaces from the path to the pond in the centre of her "park". Plots filled with brightly coloured flowers of many different varieties (mostly tulips) were before her as she sat down on the stone bench near a gurgling fountain with a toad child statue pouring water back into the bowl.

Bowser sat down beside her shortly after, the stone didn't break under his weight, which meant that he could relax for once. Stretching his arms and legs out he yawned as he cracked his fingers and toes which snapped audibly.

Peach grimaced as he did it but showed no other visible complaints. It had been a long hard day and both were tired of it all, the looks, the gossip, though it was to be expected from curious fungi. Looking over to Bowser who was now holding his large head with both hands, trying to let go of the anger he had from Toadsworth's incompetent questions, in his opinion, the old geezer should have known already.

_How could that CREATURE know nothing about my species!!_

His tail still continued to wag a little from being in Peach's presence, but was more subdued. Just her being there stopped his mind from being overcome with rage and destroy all things around him. A comforting hand touched his arm, trying to calm the beast inside of him. The hand gently rubbed his scaly arm in small circles as Bowser's thoughts began to consume him.

_I'm not a mindless animal. I am a Koopa!_

Those words kept circling inside his head as doubt began to take control. Another hand then went and touched his face, brushing across his giant cheek before grabbing a hold of his chin and gave the indication to turn towards the person behind the action.

A pale face was the sight he beheld as he turned his tired eyes towards the princess, her blue eyes filled with concern before he looked down at the ground, his eyes averting hers as he watched the ants on the ground wander through the stone path, following their queen's orders. Blindly serving her without question, giving their lives for her, providing for the colony.

_Why couldn't the fungi be like them! Or my kingdom's citizens for that matter! They at least try to follow orders! The Mushroom Kingdom seems to pride itself on quarrelling as much as they can with Peach's decisions while standing by and not helping with any solution._

He chuckled at himself, which made to Peach smile a little as she waited for him to speak.

_When did I start to care?_

Looking back at the princess he had finally kidnapped, heart and mind, he chose to reach out and pull the beautiful maiden closer to himself. She came willingly into his embrace and leaned against his plastron, her facing outward as he held her there, the fountain in front of them continued its never ending regurgitation of water that made the place seem like paradise.

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A/N: A one-shot...but if truly enjoyed I might write more. Though I should get back to work on Cliche and Reborn at one point. As always, reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Contemplating Compatibility_

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A look at the past.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters being used.

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"Having a child is like having a piece of your heart walking around outside of you"

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_From the 'Kings of the Mushroom Dark Lands Annals':_

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A vacation alone with their father, each one getting to see the king they rarely got to have time with for one full day without anyone or anything coming in between.

Twenty-four hours without other siblings stealing his attention, or servants telling him of important matters that needed his immediate scrutiny. After seeing the disarray his family had gotten into the king had decided to have eight days of vacation where no one was to interrupt their time alone.

Many had disagreed and had told him of the consequences and the 'disasters' that would befall the kingdom if he did.

His answer?

A roar that quieted any opposition as they trembled in their shells and various apparel that they wore as they sat in fear around the large concrete table. His fiery breath singed his minister of finance, a goomba with a giant white mustache, who barely leapt out of the way as all the papers before him went up in smoke.

"Anyone else?"

Bowser was a king who ruled using fear. Its not that he couldn't rule otherwise, in his mind he probably thought it would have been better if he didn't, but he had a reputation to uphold. He was a koopa, a large one, that was about twice the height of a adult human. Orange scales covered his body that resembled a cross between a turtle and a dragon, his large yellow plastron covering his front with a green carapace covered in spikes that shone in the sunlight, the little amount they did get in the Darklands. Fiery red hair that reflected his personality was ruffled and unkept on his head between his yellow horns, but you rarely saw it since his red eyes pierced your very being as soon as they targeted you. Though it seemed everything about him was large he had a small tail covered in the same spikes that were on his shell, which made sitting very hard since anything he sat down on that wasn't made for him (heaven forbid there be anything that didn't if you didn't want his temper) excruciatingly uncomfortable.

The flames that consumed the many documents was dying down as Bowser spoke again to his council with his arms crossed in clear aggravation and annoyance.

"Good."

With that, the Koopa King left his blubbering ministers, afraid for their lives, to themselves in the meeting room that was called as many the interrogation room, since most often it seemed like it.

He was going on vacation and **NO** one was stopping him.

Father of eight, a king over the Darklands, Bowser rarely had time for anything. Now many of us would judge him to be a cruel father from the spectacle he made with his administrative staff but we would all be wrong.

Bowser loved his children more then anything, well maybe except for Princess Peach but that comes later.

As he walked down the gothic style hallway with various statues of himself alight with flames that lit the hallway he thought about what was in store.

The eight of them were allowed to plan their dream vacation with the father they all rarely saw, nothing was too much or too little.

Bowser wanted to love them and bond with the children that were the remnants of a previous marriage and life that had ended tragically.

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_Bowser awoke in a good mood. The satin purple sheets covered his body that was devoid of his shell as he lay next to the koopa whom he had given his life and soul to in the large luxurious bedroom that they shared in the palace that was theirs. _

_Scratching his hindquarters lazily he closed his eyes to the sun that was determined to find its way through the red/purple curtains pulled closed to the world he ruled. _

_He needed rest from all the excitement that was from having a new baby koopa hatch and the events following there after, especially after dealing with the massive mood swings from the mother of his eighth child! _

_There was something else that he was glad about now that there would be peace and quite for awhile. _

_He moved ,with his eyes still closed, closer to the giant form that was the queen of the Darklands, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled Clawdia closer to himself. _

_She was cold, like most reptiles were in the morning before bathing in the sunlight to wake themselves up with the heat the sun provided. _

_He had a way of rectifying that problem._

"_Good morning." he whispered lovingly to her as he snuggled against her, nuzzling her cool scaly neck as he did so._

_Clawdia didn't answer. Maybe she was still sleeping._

_He kissed her cheek with his large beige mouth and received no response, usually she would either reciprocate his advances or playfully push him away._

_By this time Bowser was starting to worry._

"_Clawdia?" he asked quietly as he opened his eyes to the back of her head covered in purple hair, her body covered by the satin sheets as well._

_There was no rise and fall, the sheets staying perfectly level. She wasn't breathing._

_Bowser got up onto his haunches and pulled the covers back as he turned her front towards himself hurriedly as he feared the worst. _

_Her face had no show of pain, nothing at all, just peaceful and serene as her closed eyelids stared back at him, her face starting to show a pale blue as he went into shock at the sight. _

_The reptile he loved, had cared for, would destroy kingdoms for at her whim, was not waking. His throat constricted, his lungs screaming at him to breathe as a shriek screamed to be let out.Bowser's mate, the person who made up half of himself was not waking to his repeated shaking of her scaly body. _

"_Wake up." he spoke quietly but grew louder as he shook her harder._

"_Wake up!" he said loudly as his greatest nightmare began to become reality._

_By now tears were welling up as shock still wouldn't allow him to accept the truth._

"_Wake up!!" he yelled as the guards stationed outside the stone door became worried._

"_Something wrong my lord?" one of them yelled, shifting uncomfortably when they had no answer._

_By this time Bowser was becoming hysterical as he shook the dead body that once housed his wife's life._

"_WAKE UP, PLEASE!!"_

_The door was thrown open as the guards stepped through only to be stopped in shock as they saw their king, naked without his shell, crying as he tried to break the slumber that Clawdia succumbed to that she couldn't be woken from._

_His large form was hovering over her body as he broke down and brought her body close to himself as salty tears fell on her lifeless form. Hugging her tightly as his mind continued its denial._

_She will wake, she won't leave me._

_His roars became whispers as he spoke into air, his words slurring together, begging her to wake._

_Sobbing quietly, Bowser kept fighting against the reality before him._

_The soldiers, loyal and trustworthy, awoke from their stupor, ran from the room to have someone find the king's physician, completely disregarding the fact that they should have tried to find the cause of the queen's death right away before the evidence was lost. _

_They were loyal but not the brightest of their platoon._

_A young koopa shyly stumbled into the room as he walked towards his father in his fireball covered red pajamas, his shell back in his room, towards the now quiet king, Larry Koopa kept his small stubby legs together hiding the shame he had come to confess to his father and mother. They always knew how to make things right, they always made things better._

_Being young he didn't realize the state his father was in as he tapped his father's leg that was near the edge of the bed since he was still very little compared to his parents._

"_Daddy."_

_Bowser froze, his body becoming tense as his son tapped his leg again._

_He fought for control as he replied to his son, his husky baritone voice trying to remain monotone as it threatened to break as Bowser turned his face away to hide his tears._

"_What is it Larry."_

_Shuffling his feet in embarrassment, Larry parted his legs to reveal a dark red stain on his bed clothing._

"_I wet the bed."_

_Bowser didn't move, didn't make a sound before the inevitable question was asked._

"_What's wrong with mommy?"_

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Larry had been the first to find out. He didn't understand any of it, he just kept wondering when 'mommy' was going to wake up.

They all took it hard, especially Ludwig who had been very close to his mother, being the first born and knowing her the most.

She had taken great pride in the musical concertos he had dreamed up at such a young age, Clawdia had encouraged him in this direction.

After that day the music refused to play out from his room until just two years ago when he had finally found comfort in the symphonies created by Toadofsky and had been inspired by the great composer to orchestrate a dirge for his mother.

The others didn't know her well enough, finding that they thought of Kammy to be more like a paternal figure to them considering how busy their real parent was.

After a long period of time it was found out to be that the former queen had been poisoned, her Chuckola Cola having been spiked seemingly after the guards had tested the food for any trace of it.

Someone had been in their room.

Finding this out, Bowser had taken his anger out on the guards who were on duty as his grief took control him. Luckily their metallic shells kept them from the brunt of the king's fit.

But deep inside...Bowser blamed himself, his failure to keep his mate safe from the slings and arrows of a world that hated their kind.

He grew colder as he secretly searched for the killer of his wife.

But that comes later.

Five years later and Bowser entirely had changed the way he ruled his kingdom.

Gone was the kindly, friendly monarch and in its place was a tyrant who exacted his will through fear.

His diary keeping the secrets of his heart as he pined for the Princess of the neighbouring Mushroom Kingdom. He saw her three years after Clawdia's death, helping with negotiating with him on behalf of her father, the king of the Mushroom Kingdom, after Bowser had invaded and taken over a large part of it, she had appeared to beg for him to leave their lands, a human with bleach blonde hair that ran down past her shoulders, with blue eyes and a small cute nose. Princess Peach looked to be about heading into her twenties as she fell before him, the guards picked her up to be taken away to the dungeon in his castle back in the Darklands.

He was about the same age as her and was puzzled on how she avoided being married off. Her dress filled with frills and lace also confused him as the pink started to hurt his corneas.

This was war!

You didn't wear a dress during a crisis when your people could be under the thumb of another ruler if he decided to continue taking land from the Mushroom Kingdom!

She was beautiful, attractive even to him, someone of another species, which caused him more trouble since she kept popping back up into his head, making him feel guilty for wanting her while remembering Clawdia.

...

Again, that comes later. I am terribly sorry that this old historian keeps digressing from the main point at hand. Must be this foggy old koopa brain of mine.

...

After having stormed down the hallways with his temper being tempted, everyone stayed out of his way as the king went to see his children. They all had their familiar haunts.

Ludwig von Koopa would be practising his new piece that he had created just a short while ago in the large concert hall built for his performances. His unkept blue hair flying about as he waved his wand about directing the orchestra that somehow never perfected it to his standards. The young prince's face changing as the music changed its tempo from fast to slow, the notes playing on his emotions as it brought memories of her again to his teenage mind.

Lemmy, the second oldest, probably was clowning around in the courtyard, practising his balance on the outrageously large ball of his alone. Despite being older he was one of the most immature of the whole bunch as he loved any joke that involved some kind of body part or function. He had become more subdued over the years, his fun loving personality almost disappearing completely after the loss of his mother. The ball had been given to him when a commission from the king had been misinterpreted and the two young princes were given instead of small balls made of a Mini Dino Rhino's stomach from Chocolate Island ones that were made of the an actual Dino Rhino and to try impress the monarchs they were painted crazy intricate colours that became a staple of any ball Lemmy owned.

Roy would be out with the troops, wanting to become more like them and learning new techniques that he would use to terrorize his siblings. The soldiers put up with his constant bragging and annoyances because of the state their king would be in if they layed a single hand on the pink coloured koopa, with a pink shell instead of the usual green. He loved to walk the ramparts of his father's castle, feeling the wind against his face and the sun hitting his red sunglasses. Roy had trouble with his eyesight, his eyes hating the bright lights which caused him pain which he hid from his family. After Clawdia had passed away he had struck out in rage at random and had become a bully, taking most of his rage out on his older sibling Lemmy, though wishing for comfort from the father he pretended to want nothing to do with. His mind was always at war with itself as he learned many combat moves as he trained under the Koopatrol as he learned the way of a soldier from Spiky Tom. Roy's indecision led to many mistakes and angered the child more each time he failed at the task given to him.

Iggy would be in the giant lab located near the dungeons working on his latest mechanical machinery that he would gloat about for awhile before being shunned by his less intelligent counterparts that refused to give him the time of day to see what wondrous things he had created in the lab he worked in alone. His rainbow mohawk drooping once more as his father had been unable to see his 'latest and greatest' invention before his glasses would show the tears that secretly hung on his eyelids as he took it all in stride with a silly smile, going back to the machines he never felt the appreciation he desperately wanted, the feeling of accomplishment slipping through his scaly fingers. The pipes above rumbling as another dream was flushed down the drain as the schematics for his 'crazy' gadget was taken away by the poor plumbing.

Wendy, holed up in her room, constantly primping herself and her pink shell to attract koopas older then herself. The mirror becoming her escape as she pampered herself with all hoops and bows money could buy. Puckering her lips as she would put on red lipstick that would never touch someone's lips without it becoming a kiss that marked them for a slow death by the hands of her father. Wendy O. Koopa had very little recollection of her birth mother but had resigned herself to 'let' Kammy be her 'unofficial' mother who helped with her make-up and the large hoop rings she adored while giving Wendy advice about the way to woo a male koopa and the many things a mother would tell her. Late at night, her dreams always seemed to revolve around a prince that would charm her and would ride off into the sunset in the typical fantasy of a young girl.

Morton Koopa Jr. , named after Bowser's father Morton Koopa, God rest his soul, had a mouth on him like you wouldn't believe. He would thunder on about so much that really never amounted more then just a simple hello when first meeting you. That is if he was in a good mood. His brown skin and white shell and head set him apart from most of his kind. What truly did though was the star birthmark of grey on the left side of his face that was so unique that no one had ever seen someone born like that before. Along with Wendy, Morton Jr. considered Kammy, one of Bowser's advisors and trusted associates, as his mother as she spent so much time taking care of the children that Bowser simply didn't have time to be with. He was probably talking the ear off some unlucky servant as he worked, questioned only on the rarest of times as Morton continued his monologue ever diligently. Morton was a smart aleck, a child that had to always have the first or last word, in which ever order he so chose. He was smart enough not to lip off his father within the short time spans he got to see his father.

Larry, the second youngest, had little to remember of his mother, but what he had haunted him as she had made an impact on his life. His other two siblings near his age had soon forgotten about Clawdia but Larry hung onto her existence, taking comfort in a old picture of her hugging his father in a romantic scene in front of Corona mountain right before their coronation, a wooden frame and glass covering it sat on his night stand so he could stare at it before drifting off to sleep. He, along with Ludwig, had been affected the most. Especially since he was so young and had not understood the concept of death. He had grown up quickly, hiding his obsession with his dead mother. His blue hair waving about from the small breeze that would be blowing into his room at this time as he tried to piece together his broken memories, longing for his dream of his mother to come to life. As he slept the tears he hid during the day wet the pillow as he cried for both his father and mother to hold him, hug him, tell him that they love him.

Bowser Junior, the last one to be born from Clawdia, God rest her soul. He looked exactly as his father had once looked as a child, growing up calling Kammy his mother, imitating his father's behaviour. Junior had not noticed the tension or the subtle change of subject every time his birth mother was mentioned around him. Junior had been given a handkerchief from his father as a birthday gift, the same one that Bowser had as a child. Since then it was always around his neck as a sign almost saying 'I wanna become just like my Dad' while people sighed around him as he pulled pranks on the ones he loved most, which usually ended up being Kammy and Kamek. He was oblivious to the fact that he had no mother and never questioned it. Cheerful and full of spunk, the little lava raiser never seemed to lack energy as he ran the hallways of the castle with Kamek in full pursuit as Junior tried to break free from the lessons that the blue robed magician taught in a old dingy, dusty, room full of books older then himself.

It had always been a rule given by Kammy to never bring up Clawdia in Junior's presence. Every time one of them tried, the purple robed old magi-koopa (magi-koopas resemble koopas but are more turtle like and no spikes adorn their backs) had punished them with no dessert for the offender. She didn't want her king remembering painful memories of his previous mate.

Instead, Kammy had subtly encouraged his infatuation with Princess Peach, leaving things about to stimulate it, like peach scented candles, that would remind him of someone that could mend his wounded heart that still was empty and longing to be filled.

But Bowser at the moment had his children on his mind.

All of them had been told about their father's plans and about half of them was looking forward to it. The other half...gave typical responses.

"Why do I have to spend time with him?"

"We see him already, who needs twenty-four hours?"

"I'm fine where I am...my work demands I stay."

Squabbles and angry words were spoken between the two parties as both were furious with the other's opinion.

Bowser walked into the now plain bedroom he slept in, forgoing luxuries for a stone bed and simple accessories for basic living. He didn't need them, especially since most things reminded him of her. The room was devoid of colour as he began to pack a suitcase with necessitities.

* * *

"_Bowser, what do you think of these red curtains?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_The curtains."_

"_They're fine..."_

_Clawdia gave him a quizzical look as she rubbed the cloth between her thumb and fingers._

"_You don't care?"_

_Bowser looked up from the reports he had been given about the war front as he sat in front of his breakfast, a large steak cooked medium rare, the aroma reaching Clawdia's nose as the scent tempted her to have breakfast early before steeling herself to Bowser's little foolish game._

"_Not really..."_

_A angered look crossed her face as she tried to guess where her newly wed husband was going with this._

"_But this is important."_

_Bowser glanced down at the papers before looking up at her._

"_Who wanted to invade Grassland?"_

_She scowled before looking back down at the choice in front of her._

_Purple...or red._

_She sighed as Bowser stood behind her, speaking soothingly into her ear._

"_They both match."_

_She took the bait._

"_Match what?"_

_Kissing her cheek sloppily, Bowser hopped away from her before playfully jabbing at her verbally._

"_Your crazy bed hair, both look horribly atrocious in the morning."_

_That took the cake!_

"_Bowser Morton Koopa! You will regret insulting my hair!" she shouted as she tried to manoeuver her way out of the curtain pieces that were at her feet before tripping on them in her haste to thump her husband with anything within in grasp. _

_Before she knew it, Clawdia was in mid-air, falling towards the ground, closing her eyes to her fate as she stuck out her hands. Her hands didn't touch the stone floor of their bedroom. No, the smaller orange scaled hands felt something hard and smooth as two hands grabbed her sides, steadying her. _

_Opening her eyes, Clawdia wasn't surprised to be looking into Bowser's belly, his plastron. Her cheeks flared red in embarrassment at her fall as he spoke._

"_But I forgot to add,"_

_Bowser added a dramatic moment by using one of his hands to ruffle her unkempt morning hair as Clawdia still recovered from shock that he had moved and caught her so unthinkably fast._

"_Both never stop me from smiling at the beauty hidden by them."_

_Helping her to her feet, Bowser was about to walk away, a smile hidden as he strategically guessed and planned what would happen next._

_As he took a step, Clawdia grabbed his arm and set about to get revenge for the jab at her purple hairdo. Before she could do so a pair of lips were against hers, pressing with intensity that only newly wed couples would understand. Her hands forgot their previous mission as her mind was lost to a torrent of emotions rising up in her._

_The red and purple curtains were soon completely forgotten._

* * *

Color reminded him of her. Bowser couldn't hide from it but in his bedchambers he refused to have anything that remotely brought up her existence. One thing that he couldn't escape was the fact that each and every single one of his children reminded him of Clawdia, each with a different method. A smile, a laugh, some kind of habit, they had a part of their mother in them all.

Going to the armoire that was also stone, Bowser pulled out a green rectangular suitcase that matched his shell's colour, unzipping the closed lid to begin to assume what his kids might have in mind.

Swimming trunks, that was a must, especially with his suspicions on where Wendy wanted to go on her day.

Turtle wax, greatly needed to keep his royal shell polished after playing with Lemmy, which would include probably something that would cause it to become extremely dirty.

If he could, Bowser would bottle patience, something that he needed desperately when it came to Roy and Morton. Ear plugs would come in handy too.

A rubber ducky that would keep Junior entertained while at the onsen at Corona mountain, one of Junior's favourite places, in his words, "entrie uinvercse".

Safety goggles for Iggy's vacation.

Ludwig would want to go with him to some kind of musical performance, in which he would have to try and stay awake since Bowser was not very musically inclined. That had been more of Clawdia's thing.

Zipping up the suitcase, Bowser stared out the arched window to watch the sun set on the land he ruled.

This would be his vacation, not having to deal with countless advisors and petty squabbles. He would finally be with his children, the way Clawdia would want him to be.

The way it should have been.

* * *

_**  
A/N: Well this comes in response to TK-Productionz and Rock Raider (and their wonderful reviews) convincing me to get off my lazy butt and write more about one of my favorite pairings. Sorry if this chapter didn't have much of it in it. **_

_**Reviews are welcomed and throughly enjoyed by me, they also give results like this.  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Contemplating Compatibility_

-

Time alone in the garden.

Disclaimer: I do not the characters being used.

* * *

Silence.

A welcome noise in Bowser's mind, as he sat there in her garden, enjoying Princess Peach's presence along with the quiet rustling of the rich green leaves on the tree beside them. The clouds above them lazily crossed the sky, a small breeze hurrying them along.

He inhaled deeply, his reptilian senses 'tasting' the air, drinking in the aroma of the beauty that lay against him. If he wasn't careful he could lose himself in that intoxicating smell of her scent.

_Does she think the same about me?_

Her breathing was slow, her ribs barely pressing against scaly skin as her lungs expanded then ,shortly after, deflating, continuing in a cycle.

She had fallen asleep, her mind at ease, for the moment. Her blonde, slightly curly hair intruded on the little crevice between his plastron and belly, slightly tickling him as she continued to rise and fall. The ruffles that littered her dress threatened to catch on his spiked bracelets as she snuggled closer to him.

Princess Peach, just Peach to him, looked like, what we would call, a china doll.

Perfect, priceless, so beautiful that you wish to touch it but fear it might break.

He tempted fate by slowly running his large three fingers through her hair, his thumb massaging her head as he quenched his thirst for the delicate, smooth feeling of her creamy white skin against the most sensitive part of his hand. His claws avoided contact, fear of scratching her porcelain epidermis.

One dreamed while the other felt that he was in one, the landscape around them becoming surreal, along with the person who rested lightly against him.

The princess let out an almost inaudible sigh, her lips pursing together before shifting slightly in her sleep, unconsciously moving herself closer to the warm fire contained within Bowser's stomach, which kept fluxing in strength as Bowser's heart raced inside his chest.

His small spiked appendage attached to his backside threatened to smack against the sycamore tree as he controlled its movement with as much self-control he could muster.

Bowser let his red eyes stare at the princess, rove across her face as she slept peacefully in his arms.

Slowly dropping his head, he nuzzled her face with the soft and sensitive scales that covered his face, the sensation of the contact between the two started to dredge up the painful memories he thought he had sealed away.

He immediately broke the connection, his head swam in thoughts and the past.

If he could have, Bowser would have had sweaty brow, as guilt tugged at the heart that continued to beat in joy for the person lying against his belly.

Lost between the two, one he had once loved and committed his life to and the one who defrosted his frozen heart.

Bowser scrunched his face as the feelings persisted, trying to push them away as he usually did every time they surfaced. Rejecting the words that tried to steal away the paradise that surrounded him, Bowser breathed deeply of his own scent to remind him of the suffering he had endured, the pain his children went through by locking himself away.

The emotional scars they shared as a family.

The smell of soot, smoke, and the now pungent musk that now covered him that was unnoticeable to the warm blooded citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom.

This was a new life, for all of them.

They would be a family again.

Footsteps took him away from the rabbit trail his brain had taken him on, toads with blue and yellow mushroom caps walked past, their heads facing away from the large reptile on the bench with their princess, carrying the hoes and rakes in their small arms towards a large shed at the other end of the garden.

Bowser could hear the whispers, the quiet insults, the questioning of the sanity of their monarch behind her back as they cleaned up their work for the day.

Awakened by the noises, Princess Peach opened her bright blue eyes to a grimace on the face she soon wanted to wake up to the rest of her life. Her eyes questioned the frown on Bowser's face before moving her nose out of range of the koopa's armpits before asking her thought in words.

"Bowser?"

He looked down at her, his expression softening immediately as her warm breath played with his senses.

His voice came out gruffly as he responded, mouth not moving as he wanted from the lack of motion for so long, slurring his speech.

"Yyesss?"

She smiled slyly as she flicked his large snout playfully. Stunned, the koopa king didn't respond immediately as the princess slid out from under his arm, sprinting a short distance before looking back at the still stupefied reptile.

Giggling she turned back around and ran, her pink shoes making a loud clacking sound against the stone pathway, her hands holding up her dress so as to not step on it.

Bowser's eyebrow rose before he a large grin plastered his face, his shaky legs starting to move slowly until they increased in speed as he caught up to the mischievous princess.

Pumping his arms, Bowser let his full weight come down whenever he stepped, shaking the ground incredibly as he lost sight of the princess ahead who just turned a corner.

He pushed aside the large lanky branches that got in his way, snapping back behind him to their original position as he chased his 'prey'. He heard her laughter just a short distance away as he rounded the bend.

Slowing his run to a jog, then to a slow walking speed, he searched carefully with his red eyes, eyeing the large shrubbery that could be hiding the 'elusive' princess. The sound of birds chirping hid the quiet laugh as Bowser parted the leafy plant, expecting to see her to pop out but was surprised when she didn't.

Puzzled, he turned around to the other side of the path to see a small part of a pink dress peaking out from a birch tree.

He smirked as he neared her hiding place, his nose confirming that it was indeed Princess Peach.

_She's making this too easy._

Branches cracked under his feet, blocking out the muffled murmur from a few feet away as he neared the cloth poking out from behind the tree. Bowser never noticed the silent counting as he reached out to tug on the pink material and pull her into his arms.

As he carried out his plan the piece ripped, pulling on the small outcropping branch. Shocked, the reptilian over lord stumbled over an apology, nervous that he had torn off a piece of her dress that might have been important.

He was severely thrown off his rocker when the bush just ahead of him gave him for half-a-second a glimpse of a pink, blonde thing coming towards him out of it.

It crashed into his chest, the shock along with it's weight sent him reeling back onto his shell, the spikes sticking into the ground.

Most of us would laugh at his predicament as he wiggled his legs about in the air, confused to as why he couldn't feel ground till he opened his eyes to a extremely happy face.

Princess Peach lay atop him, grinning like a cheshire cat as changed her position on top of his plastron, her bright blue eyes beaming with the fire of triumph and glory from winning her little game.

He grinned back at her as she maneuverer her legs to a cross legged sitting position, noticing the small grass stains on her knees and the small tear she had made near the bottom of her dress to fool him.

"Good." Peach said quietly.

Bowser chuckled, "What is so _good_?"

She stretched out her gloved hand, her covered fingers to pushing aside Bowser's red mane that had spilled to the front of his face.

"You're smiling again."

Bowser grabbed the hand gently, holding it in his large paw to press it against his cheek, the soft velvet material sliding gently across the sensitive beige scales. Princess Peach made no attempt to retrieve her hand but settled for sitting there on the large koopa, happy that they both could find sometime to themselves, the days ahead being filled with a hectic schedule that drew them both apart. She understood the need for him to be close, to know that she was real, that this moment was real, enjoying each other's presence.

A vacation, so to speak, for them from their roles in life.

Worlds so different, yet to them, they believed they could coincide together, the two kingdoms becoming one.

Same with their own lives, they hoped.

The glint from before returned to the princess's eyes, Bowser not noticing the hand nearing his armpits. Their face, she had found out, wasn't the only thing that was sensitive.

The reptile's eyes bulged when the first finger contacted his exposed underarm, before his large maw opened as his laughter could not be held in, his hand letting go of Peach's to try and grab at the other one causing him this 'discomfort'.

That was a mistake for him as the other hand reached out and started tickling his other armpit. Bowser's bellows could be heard by most those on the other side of the wall of the garden as they went about their business.

He thrashed about, his shell still stuck within the ground, his arms trying to reach out to the princess to stop her, but if he found success on one side the other soon found two hands attacking the ticklish body part.

The impish pink princess stopped, her fingers hovering over the scaly skin, ready to strike once more if she so desired to.

Bowser gasped for breath, his mouth gulping air in a desperate attempt to satisfy his lungs need for the gas, panting as his 'torturer' leaned forward towards him, wondering if she had gone too far.

After having successfully refilling his respiratory system with the much needed oxygen, Bowser's 'quick' mind came up with a devious idea to get back at Peach for the ambush.

Letting his eyes roll back and letting his tongue flop out, he played dead.

Not fooled by the obvious trap layed forth, the princess decided to play along as she stuck out her index finger and poked Bowser's cheek, receiving no response. Again she jabbed, but before it contacted, the koopa struck, grabbing the princess's hand and readying himself for his sweet revenge.

His face displayed his confidence as he spoke smugly to the princess, who was about to be surprised by his 'cunning' plan.

"Your turn."

Pulling her closer to himself as she resisted, trying to gain the upper hand fruitlessly as Bowser pulled Princess Peach's pink shoes off to reveal white socks covering her feet.

Peach batted away at his arms, but to no avail as he gently tugged on her socks, coming slowly off before being grabbed by the owner, resulting in a small tug of war before the princess lost, the sock thrown into the bush for risk of retrieval before attacking the second one.

It played out similarly to the other scenario of the now lost sock.

Readying his claws, Bowser kept a firm ,but gentile grip on the pasty white leg as hands pried away at his hold.

Finally, the moment was ripe.

His white weaponry, previously feared for the harm they could cause were poised to begin their descent on the wiggling little toes in the summer afternoon light. They grazed lightly over the skin, barely touching as the claws glided down the centre of Peach's foot, eliciting a giggle from the previous tickler, but did not give the response the turtle was hoping for.

Peach bit her tongue as his 'weapons' skated across her foot again, slower this time, zig zagging instead of the former straight pattern. It threatened to break her control over her face and lungs who begged to let out the held in air.

Bowser stared at her, watching for any subtle change, before resuming his conquest, refusing to back down till he reached his goal.

Their eyes battled for dominance as they determined how much longer Peach could last.

In a sudden change of pace, the sharp curved bones danced in circles on the arch of her foot.

She couldn't hold it in any longer, her laughter came out loudly as she beat her hand on Bowser's plastron in a futile attempt to make him stop, her voice boisterous as tears formed in her eyes as she reaped what she had sown.

His attacks were now less vicious, the objective being achieved, but still wanted to return the 'favour'.

Peach panted for air as she tried to regain control over her mouth, her sides aching from the laughter already as she grabbed at the hands causing her this 'joy'.

The dance stopped on her foot, instead, the hands reached out to catch the obviously tired out princess who fell right onto them, still dealing with the giggles as her feet splayed out behind her. Bowser chuckled silently as Peach's died down, her head mere inches away from his as they laid there in their merriment and happiness. Her loud gasping settled down to mere deep breaths through the nose as she returned to her state of contentment from before.

Their breathing disturbed the sounds of the forest around them, almost happening synchronously, as air was forced out of their nostrils.

Princess Peach rolled onto her back, staring at the same blue sky as the 'monstrous creature' beneath her. She could smell the remains of a fire on him, the scent of Bowser, king of the Darklands.

His odour of wood smoke and soot reminded her of the power within the giant reptile's stomach.

She didn't mind the smell, she actually liked it after inhaling it for so long.

It reminded her of the camp fires her soldiers would make for warmth on their patrols around the oddly named Cool, Cool Mountain. Heat that in essence, helped them stay alive as they finished their rounds in the frigid weather.

_Kind of like him, keeping me alive._

Peach rolled onto her side and looked in detail at the intricate ways the scales were situated on Bowser's neck.

"It's beautiful..."

She smiled as the koopa's voice came out softly, husky, as he stared at the clouds in the heavens above as she spoke those same words in her mind back at him. Her eyes traced the intricate lines separating each piece of his orange skin, winding their way up the neck before stopping at the large bulge where the scales became smaller on Bowser's snout.

They lay there in silent awe of two different things as there was a shout from the far side of the garden.

Peach seemed to be lost, her emotions pushing her forward, literally. Her motion dispelled the spell the open sky had upon him causing Bowser to look to the side at Peach.

Her eyes closed, her lips pursing together as she leaned forward a little more.

The shouting from before grew louder as Bowser leaned his head forward as well, lips tight together in the attempt to form a means to kiss the pink beauty.

The pairs of lips neared, ever growing closer as time slowed, the moment before contact drawing to an end. Pink lush lips almost pressed against the large beige ones but were interrupted as Toad, Peach's attendant, who unlike Toadsworth, had a red capped mushroom, rushed towards the pair, not realizing the situation before noticing what both of them were about to do. His cheeks became flushed with embarrassment, turning around before rattling off his reason for disturbing them in a high pitched, slightly squeaky voice.

"S-s-sorry p-princess for, for," Toad coughed into his hand, "Sir Toadsworth has s-s-sent me to remind you of the many documents s-s-still sitting on your desk that were s-s-supposed have already been looked through yesterday."

Sighing, Princess Peach climbed to the edge of Bowser's shell as Toad rushed forward to offer his hand down, his head tilted away from the 'creature' as the princess accepted his help, though rather reluctantly. As she jumped off she snatched a look at Darkland king, his face trying to hide his resentment at the timing Toad had. She too was disappointed but that was soon gone as her mind dumped all that she had been avoiding that day upon her conscious.

_The Grasslands are asking for more water._

_Isle Delfino wants more trade done with them exclusively._

_Toad Town is having trouble with civil disputes._

_Mushroom City's mayor demands to be given more money for expansion._

Crashing down on her, the smile she once wore genuinely was replaced by a fake one, a mask.

Bowser saw the change as he watched with his head upside down, the hidden grim look she held within her eyes becoming more prevalent as Toad grabbed her hand and guided her out of her garden, her paradise, with him.

The giant reptile's body sagged even more after she left, his body protesting her absence but was soon forgotten as he realized something.

He was still stuck there in the ground.

* * *

_**  
A/N: Another chapter for you all. Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are wonderful and are encouraged.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Contemplating Compatibility_

--

Time travel occurs again.

Disclaimer: I do not the characters being used.

* * *

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

* * *

_From the 'Kings of the Mushroom Dark Lands Annals':_

-

These are the events recorded that I have taken and pieced together from interviews and basic knowledge from his majesty and also various others who were there during the very turbulent time in the Mushroom Kingdom that led up to the king kidnapping the princess and so forth.

* * *

_The princess never liked large balls and all the frivolous small talk involved with them. _

_Preparations for many days before the day for only one night of dancing slowly with spoiled suitors from the surrounding countries that bordered the Mushroom Kingdom was not the definition of fun for her. _

_Especially since the many different lords and ladies that she had been taught to remember since the age of six who maintained the many different sections of her kingdom thought she should be everywhere at once, though many of her subjects probably would have her attempt it even though it was physically impossible for her to achieve it._

_Princess Peach would have preferred to have been in her garden or off actually doing something useful with her time rather then have to listen to Toadsworth babble on about the next prince was from some extremely well-off kingdom. _

_Drawing her eyes away from the large arched glass doors that led to her escape back to the dreary sight of women wearing gowns that made them look light giant techno coloured buoys on a sea of white washed stone. The dresses seemed to almost encompass the wearer's partner, almost seeming to want to eat them. _

_Toads and various other citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom meandered about the buffet table that was stacked with more foods then I could possible name, though I should say that there was triple layered strawberry juice drizzled cheesecake almost as big as a human, as described by Toadette, who would not let me leave out that detail when retelling the event. _

_The princess's feet seemed to have as much direction as her eyes, as she politely moved about the throng before another citizen tried to get her attention for something bothersome. Folding her hands in front of herself she tried to enjoy the entertainment given by the wonderful composer Toadofsky who was performing Frogfucius Suite No. Eighteen, his hands waving about with the conductor's wand directing his orchestra in perfect harmony._

_A soft tap on her shoulder made the princess turn about fairly fast. A familiar cheery face spooked her as the name of the person in front of her._

_The man wore a silly green hat with a white feather sticking out, puffy royal blue clothes showing his status in the world. Large brown locks of hair covered part of the curiously big head._

_His grin turned to a frown when the princess didn't recognize him, his large cheeks sagging slightly._

"_Don't tell me you don't remember me?" he whispered indignantly._

_Still caught off guard the princess quickly tried to find an excuse, waving her hands in front as if you wave away the smell of a lie._

"_Of course I remember who you are..." _

_She prayed her guess was right as she inwardly cringed._

"_Prince Pine?" _

_The prince of Jewelry land, renowned for it's name for precious jewels it's kingdom really didn't have, smiled as he stuck out his hand in greeting._

_It s been too long too see your fair face, princess. _

_She rolled her eyes as she stuck out her hand and watched as the pompous young prince named after a tree kissed her gloved hand. _

_Peach made a note to herself to wash it later._

_Quickly getting her hand out of his grasp, she hid her disgust in the form of fiddling with her blue sapphire brooch on her chest._

"_Likewise." _

_They both started to fidget awkwardly when neither could come up with anything to say._

_Finally the prince's mind caught up with his heart in speed._

"_Would you care to dance?" _

"_Uhhh." _

_The princess searched the room frantically, looking for any escape possible. Her eyes then met her salvation from the situation._

"_Peach!"_

_The loud boisterous voice of Daisy, princess of Sarasaland, called out over the rabble._

_Princess Peach waved back, thinking that she just chose the lesser of two evils._

_Picking up part of her orange dress, the tomboyish girl walked towards her at a fast clip, her brown hair flying about frantically trying to keep up. _

_Kind of like her servants now a days, even at her age, the old bat is crazy as ever with her past times._

_The prince bowed out of his attempts to woo the pink princess rather graciously as a giggling brunette replaced him._

"_I can't believe I haven't seen you till now!"_

_Peach winced._

"_Yeah, me either." _

"_I just cannot believe how wonderful your castle is looking, when did you have that chandelier made? Any-" _

_Just when the princess thought her ear would fall off from the amount of words flowing out and in such a rapid pace from the desert princess, there was a loud blast from trumpets, the sound coming from the front entrance to the ballroom._

"_Make way for Prince Peasley of the BeanBean Kingdom!" a toad guard announced to the party's participators._

_Many clapped as the green skinned royalty strutted along the main carpet into the ball-room, smiling in a smarmy kind of way as he waved his white gloved hand. Peasley's golden yellow hair softly bounced as he made his way forward, red cape following closely behind him as he raised his hands for silence. _

_Princess Peach was intrigued by what was going on and what news the newcomer had but was also disgusted by the fact that he was of Beanish descent. The bright green always made her nauseous at the sight. Needless to say they were not her favourite people to meet._

"_Citizens, lend me your ears," the prince shouted as his eyes scanned the crowd, "I have dealt a swift blow to those that oppress us!" _

_There was great kafuffle as people started whispering, shouting for more before the prince quickly raised his hands again for them to be quiet. His smile turned into a grin as he stated with joy._

"_The Darkland's king and queen," the prince raised a small green vial with a cork in it towards the ceiling, "tyrannical rule has come to an end by my hand!" _

_Loud shouts and cheers made it hard for the princess to hear anything else as it drowned anything else out. _

_The arms that had been thrust up in celebration suddenly fell as the prince quieted the crowd for the third time._

"_For this feet, I only ask for the Princess Peach's hand in marriage as my reward." _

_People started shuffling to the side, a long line of a gap that let the prince see the person he had just mentioned fidget nervously as well as try to hide her utter dislike and disdain of the offer. The prince began to walk towards her, hiding the vial in a pouch in his white tunic as his footsteps echoed throughout the entire building. Those footsteps were then accompanied by another as Toadsworth, acting in the stead of the king who was currently ill, walked towards the princess, the whole assembly of people deathly quiet as both neared Princess Peach s position in the crowd._

_Her heart pounded in her chest as her rage grew._

_She was **NOT** going to marry some beanbean, it just wasn't going to happen, in her mind. But the way that Toadsworth carried himself across the floor, slowly chipped away at her resolve with each step the elderly toad took towards her. Each footfall seemed to echo in a way that made it sound like a dirge, the smile across the shroom's face spelling her fate._

"_And you shall have it dear prince, none could best that feat in facing death straight in the face." _

_Prince Peasley nodded at the acclamations at the news he had brought._

"_I stared into the mouths of the fearsome beasts before I threw the poison straight down into their gullets." _

_Toadsworth looked on with awe as he neared both the princess and the prince._

"_You are indeed a brave and courageous man," looking at the princess who shook her head quickly in refusal at the words that soon came out of his mouth, "and for that I give you and the king's blessing on the union of you and Princess Peach." _

_The princess couldn't hold it in any longer._

"_No!" _

_Her shout sounded like a long drawn out whine, almost like one of my siblings at the local bazar wanting the newest hoop rings._

"_I don't want to marry him!" _

_Toadsworth swiveled on his little feet to face her._

"_Why ever not?" _

"_He's," she looked around frantically for something, anything, "he hasn't proved to me his love for me." _

_She knew it was a long shot and was very unlikely to work considering what the prince had just done._

_The prince's reaction was that of shock, his blond lush hair had just one hair stick out in complete surprise._

"_He slew the king and queen of the Darklands and you want proof of his love for you? Are you completely off your rocker, poppet?!" _

_Toadsworth said as the incredulous statement the princess had made still tried to make sense in his mind._

_The princess turned her head away, her nose sticking up in the air._

"_And he has left many angry heirs to take the throne and destroy us all." _

_The brown spotted toad threw up his hands in anger._

"_Are you daft gel?" _

_Prince Peasley ran his fingers through his hair before throwing it back over his shoulder carelessly._

"_I'm surprised at your denial princess, though it was to be expected of someone with equal beauty to myself."_

_Peach's cheeks flared red as she once again stated another argument to Toadsworth._

"_What about my father? Should you not go and ask for his blessing on the union personally instead of making the decision for him?"_

_Toadsworth shook his head._

"_He is still very ill, but having known your father since birth, I do know what his wishes would be."_

_The princess inwardly screamed without even batting an eyelash on the outside as she tried again, her voice now clipped and terse._

"_My father would want me to marry someone more," she looked Prince Peasley up and down, "worthy."_

_Prince Peasley scowled, his eyebrows furrowing as Toadsworth blew his top, various guards behind him ushering the guests out into the garden._

"_Worthy? WORTHY! Now I know that you have had too much to drink this evening!"_

"_I am in perfect mental health, Toadsworth."_

_The prince held up his hand towards Toadsworth as he was about to reply._

"_It is alright sir," the prince whispered angrily._

"_I'm sorry Prince Peas-"_

"_It. Is. Alright."_

_Turning back towards Peach, he bowed low before walking away, his steps echoing throughout the empty ballroom. _

_The Princess watched Toadsworth run after the BeanBean prince, crying out for the prince to try once more, that the princess would be wed to him if he only came back._

_Peach smirked._

_That took care of him._

_She then looked out the large arched windows to see a ruler bending down to pick a flower._

_All mirth was gone as she ran towards the glass doors in haste as her garden, in her mind, was being ransacked._

* * *

Relations between the Mushroom Kingdom and the BeanBean Kingdom steadily declined as the Dark Lands mourned their dead.

It didn't take long for all to find out that the prince had lied.

True, he had killed one of the members of royalty with his trickery, but because of it, the rage of a koopa who had lost his mate was now upon them.

Within three years the fury of the king had made a noticeable impact on the world as several countries had began to lose ground to his relentless troops.

The BeanBean Kingdom had been the first kingdom to come under attack, considering the actual murder weapon had come from them. Though the land's army, and the now shamed hero/prince, tried the best they could to stem the weed of the Dark Lands as it slipped through their defences and drove them back. The prince was lost in the battle, neither killed nor found, just lost as koopas marched across Teehee Valley's dusty landscape.

...

No one to this day knows where that dirty-rotten-no-good, despicable, half-witted moronic maggot brained, queen killing cock-eyed frog, the scum of everything that is scummy on earth, green skinned coward is, but if anyone ever does I know two people, rather, koopas, who would be on the verge of maniacal blood-lust that would rival the combined fury of a angry mother penguin from Sherbert Land and a furious Kammy Koopa.

...

When most of the BeanBean kingdom had been invaded, various other kingdoms had joined together in a hasty treaty to stop the Dark Lands king. It had quickly fallen under the amount of quarreling between the kingdoms as King Bowser divided and conquered.

Eventually the Mushroom Kingdom caught the king's eyes, the economic boom it was enjoying made it all the more tempting. Even more so was the fact that the king of the Mushroom Kingdom was deathly ill and had relinquished his power to his young daughter, Princess Peach, along with the chancellor Toadsworth, both inexperienced with running a country, let alone stand any chance of stopping an invasion.

With that in mind, King Bowser began his attack.

Caught off guard, the outlying villages and towns were swiftly taken without much bloodshed, the king's blood-lust having waned enough for reason from various members of his council to get through to him. Though the thirst for conquest would not be quenched so easily.

An emissary of the Mushroom Kingdom had been quickly went out to the outlying enemy camps just on the edge of the Lakitu Highlands, the mountains behind the camp shielding them from any foolish surprise attack one might make. Though the emissary's introduction into the camp had been extremely frightful the debilitating size of the army who had their foot in the door of his country made him even more scared then a Boo ever could.

* * *

_The inexperienced toad with red spots dotting his head held a scroll with trembling fingers as he was escorted through the rabble of anxious troops. Two Koopapatrol members walked beside him, every now and then yelling for the people in their way to move. The path they were taking led up to a large imposing black tent that seemed to loom over the entire camp. _

"_Halt!"_

_All three stopped as two more of the elite group called the Koopapatrol blocked their way with giant swords that were crossed, preventing them from going any further._

_One of the guards had actually wondered why the emissary had traveled by himself without any protection, though he hadn't dwelled upon it long when a voice inside the tent gave permission for entrance._

_The two guards who had led the emissary stood to the side as he was ushered in past the black folds of the tent into the smoky atmosphere of the interior. _

_Coughing and hacking, the emissary tried to keep his knees from knocking together as the sound of heavy breathing reached him. A huge giant form that almost touched the ceiling of the tent started walking towards him, the hard packed dirt shuddering on each step it took, the dim light keeping the unfortunate peace-maker in the dark about what he was facing. _

"_Kamek!" a gruff and husky voice yelled._

_A blue robed magi-koopa popped out of the darkness beside the emissary, causing the consequently on edge toad to jump in fright._

"_Why have you come?!"_

_The toad tried to move his mouth to form words but all he could was to stand there with his mouth agape, petrified of the voice and the being that commanded it._

_Trying to keep his master placated, Kamek quickly stole the crisp scroll from the emissary's fingers that were jiggling so much that it was a miracle that it hadn't already fallen._

_After quickly skimming through the lengthy document, Kamek drew the conclusion that "they are wanting to talk of peace and settlements."_

_As Bowser spoke he emphasized his words with a step forward._

"_And they sent this little runt?!"_

"_Your ma-"_

_Kamek yelped as he was cut off by a burst of flame that singed both the scroll and his robes._

_Reeling from the sudden, irrefutable, urge to run, the emissary could only stand there in shock._

_The king of the Darklands now stood in the dim light of the entrance, his massive reptilian body covered in a cape whose colour matched his mane, blood red._

_The king's dragon like face was even more intimidating as the light played tricks with the poor, nearly hysterical toad's mind. _

_Unfortunately, what the king said next only served to be the straw that broke the camel's back._

"_Get out of my sight!"_

_All one could have seen was a white and red blur dashing out of the tent in such haste that it had knocked over several sets of armour and weaponry._

_Back inside tent Bowser ordered all to leave his presence, and as they had done what he had commanded, the king lumbered over to a small lamp hidden in the dark._

_He lit the lamp with just a breath of fire, no more then that, and then watched as the light from it revealed the map of the entire world._

"_Where are you," Bowser whispered as he studied the battered and well worn cloth carefully,the claw on his index finger tracing outlines of countries._

_After several tedious moments, the king, in his anger, swept everything on the table, including the lamp, onto the ground._

"_WHERE ARE YOU!" _

* * *

It was an understatement to say that the events of that day were not disconcerting to both the princess and Toadsworth. Stress began to wear away at Princess Peach, the death of her father growing more and more imminent, demands from her country to do something about the army they were facing, and the ever present fear of one in her unstable position.

An uprising.

There was even a faction wanting the Darklands to conquer the the Mushroom Kingdom. The news that any attempts at peace had been squashed from what she had gleaned from the emissary before he had completely broke down.

One thing though had given her hope and piqued her interest.

If she went, she thought, she might be able to convince him that he was indeed threatening enough to demand her attention. As the princess mulled this over the Darklands inched ever closer into interior of her country.

After careful thought (so she says) and consideration, she put her precarious plan into work, disguising herself in the night and sneaking out onto her balcony, climbing down the stonework to the trees below in her garden. Having accomplished that, she used the convenience of the tattered robes she had traded for in the market the day before hide her identity from the guards.

She reached the Darkland's camp at daybreak, hiding her disgust for the creatures in the camp with the mask she had used years before for the scum who murdered Queen Clawdia, God rest her soul.

When Princess Peach threw off the tattered robes she had been immediately escorted, not without jeers and bawdy comments about her attire from the soldiers, to the King's tent. Once inside her bravado soon evaporated as she faced the same situation as the emissary just days before.

* * *

_The princess coughed several times, the smoke clogging her throat as it entered through her mouth like a gush of water that threatened to choke her unless swallowed. Her eyes watered from it as well as she strained to see what was in the darkness. _

"_What do you want!"_

_It was more of a statement then a question that Bowser had shouted._

_Considering that she hadn't yet seen Bowser's face she was doing quite well when she replied, "to ask for peace," in a wavering voice._

_The tent erupted in loud malicious laughter._

"_Peace?! Peace is an illusion, just like the paradise you live in in that castle of yours!"_

_Taking one step forward, the princess did the opposite and took one step back, Bowser continued to ridicule the princess._

"_You expect everyone to bend your will cause you are a princess?!"_

_The princess now started to flinch every time the voice spoke out before she plucked up some courage._

"_What about you! You are a king, royalty as well! Expecting each country to bend to your army for," flustered the princess through up her hands in the air, "whatever you are fighting for!"_

"_Don't question my motives!" the voice shouted from the dark._

_Curious as to what a koopa actually looked like she continued to pick at Bowser's scab._

"_Then what are you fighting for!"_

"_None of your business!"_

"_It is my business when an army is knocking on my father's kingdom's door!"_

"_You arrogant, cocky, human! It is me that will question you!"_

_With that, Bowser charged out into the entrance's dim light, his monstrous features making the princess reel back in alarm but before she could even scream he had picked her up and threw her over his left-hand shoulder. She beat away at his enormous arms but it did little to help her situation as she was paraded through the camp on the beasts shoulders._

"_Some time in my dungeons should cure that tongue of yours!" he whispered to her coldly._

"_Kamek!"_

_Tripping over himself, the Kamek hurried to his king's side as he walked through the camp northward._

"_Tell the troops we're heading home."_

"_Yes your excellency."_

* * *

It was at this point in time that Toadsworth had been working with some of the finest minds of the land to secure some kind of agreement with the Darkland king when it had been reported that the princess was missing. Though they had scoured the entire castle and surrounding towns they couldn't find her. There was public outcry and blame passed around at who could have done such a thing.

It was hardly noticed that the Darkland army had left their land and had went home. No one had questioned as to why, it was just assumed that the government and the monarchs had been able to secure a deal with the enemy.

During this turmoil the princess had been taken to the main castle in the Darklands, where the sun never rose to cover it in light, the noxious fumes from the volcanoes around it preventing any chance of that happening. Little to no plant growth at all over then piranha plants that bit at your heels populated the desolate landscape.

The large stone castle stood in the middle of an island with a moat of lava, a large drawbridge at the mouth of a large koopa face that led inside the castle served as the entrance way inside.

The atmosphere was extremely humid, the air heated to an unbelievable amount that almost seemed like you were in a boiling dish of kalamari. It was because of this that the princess had lost her outer clothing and now was carried only in her undergarments as to have kept the dress she would have been all the more hot and stuffy.

The king hadn't carried her the entire way, he had passed her onto to two unfortunate koopa soldiers who had guard her.

Both had been rather kind to her, but soon discovered her hate for them and had stopped trying to coax any conversation out of her. She had been rather lucky that these two were actually good at heart or else she would have been in a worse position then she already was in.

* * *

_Princess Peach having made the trip without passing out from the heat now felt incredibly sleepy, walking becoming extremely hard as she almost tripped on a stray stone in her path but was helped up by one of the guards. _

_The yellow skinned turtle smiled at her but she only returned it with a glare._

_Led through out the luxurious castle without so much as a sound led to the eerie gothic decor being emphasized even more. She was led down into the dark of the dungeons, the heat instantly evaporating to a cold chill as the stairs began to seem endless. The princess rubbed her arms as the lack of warmth began to sap her strength._

_The koopa troopas pulled her along as many an outstretched arm begged for her attention, pleading for any help she could give. She jumped to the side when one hand almost touched her._

_Moans and groans continued to echo in the hallway long after they had passed the cells, her shoes clacking away on the stones as they neared the end of the passageway._

_The guard pulled out a small gold key as one last cell came into sight._

_It was grungy, dank and dirty, a small cot lined the corner with thick metal bars keeping detainees from escaping. Mould lined the wall in the top right hand corner while dark spots lined the walls._

_This was her cell._

* * *

_**A/N: Well, after such good reviews, I got kicked in the horse's petute to get writing, which then started to wane as the pain went away but then I find out that today is Razzi's birthday and immediately I got kicked again. I'm not really happy with how short it is (along with the ending) at this point but I think I'll save the whole full confrontation/breakdown for a chapter later on. **_

_**So, happy birthday Razzi! Hope you enjoy your present (though I'm sorry for the lack of any BxP whats-so-ever in this chapter).**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Contemplating Compatibility_

-

The plot thickens...a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters I use...but who really cares that I don't? Seriously.

* * *

The low buzzing of a bee brought Bowser's mind out of the clouds above, his imagination wandering away without him in Peach's garden.

He was still there, his back spikes stuck in the ground without any apparent help that he could see or hear.

So he lay there, not worrying, only enjoying the tranquility that was missing something. The black and yellow striped bumblebee lazily flew past the reptile's nose, it's fuzzy body tickling the monster's sensitive nostrils.

With a loud "Achoo!" the bee soon found it's self lost in the air.

Soon, Bowser was all by himself, left alone there in the silence, the wind rustling his hair lightly, the sun warming his cold-blooded body.

Bowser's eyes flickered, the sounds lulling him like a lullaby, almost as if saying "Sleep, sleep dear king, tomorrow is yet another day."

His eyelids began to droop, though they resisted to close on such a wonderful sight, created by his dear princess, but they failed. Finally his sight was blocked, the wonderful beauty once so clear to him was lost in his thoughts of one who had made it all possible.

She made it possible.

Bowser grinned happily in his half-conscious state as he dreamed, his thoughts never straying from the princess, like a love-sick puppy, the sickly, almost unbearable sight of two truly enamored with each other and lost to the world. It was downright disgusting.

It almost seemed to him as if he really had conquered the world, defied fate, and struck down that which had tried to kill him.

There was a sudden burst of girlish giggling from the trees, stirring the beast from his revere, the familiarity of the notes almost haunting the very garden itself.

It came again, though this time more suppressed.

_Peach!_

His eyes opened wide, his body coming alive once more. Anxious to get to his feet to see if is mind was truly playing tricks on him, he started rocking his body back in forth in the hopes that he might fall on his side. Side to side he swayed, each time the stride became bigger, like a energetic child in a rocking chair. The laughter rung out again.

"Peach?" Bowser shouted loudly.

Falling to his side with a loud crash, the king hurriedly picked himself up, his eyes searching his surroundings almost desperately.

There was no one in sight and yet the sound seemed so close.

He immediately began to run towards where he thought the sound was coming from, crashing through the brush, crushing flowers and foliage without any remorse.

A branch blocked the bulky monster from seeing the tree in front of him.

Nursing a bruised nose, and reciting some choice words about the placement of the tree, the reptile continued to charge on till a clearing came into a view.

Then he spotted her, her back turned to him.

She stood right near a large column of stone that designated the end of the garden, the stone path leading up from the king's left up to her very feet. The inside of the castle could easily be seen from his position as his brows rose in hope at the sight of the object of his affection.

Princess Peach's shoulders shook again as she laughed once more, her gloved hands covering her face.

Climbing out of the bush he was stuck in, Bowser took a few hurried steps forward before stopping, his mind entirely confused by the situation.

He couldn't smell her, only of something rancid.

The breeze was coming straight at him and his nose could find no trace of her within it, and yet, she was standing before him, real as the tree he had hit.

Her shoulders stopped moving and she straightened her back, staring seemingly up into the castle's ceiling.

"Like a chain-chomp to meat."

The voice confirmed the koopa's suspicions.

It wasn't her.

The speaker had a hollow voice, strained and yet still in complete control, almost in contradiction of each other.

Bowser's eyebrows angled down in anger, his lips curling made his voice sound like a snarl.

"Who are you!"

Instead of answering, the figure instead rain its hands through its blond hair and spoke non-nonchalantly off into the distance.

"When does one become a beast? The beast become a man?"

Bowser growled in clear aggression as he stepped forward.

"How does one change their demeanor, their very self for this thing called love?"

Again, the king took another step, his eyebrows furrowing even more as the words the mysterious being spoke confused him. His brain made a rash decision, believing that the words were directed at himself.

The being laughed, sounding more like a cackle then anything else.

"Lust cloaked in a mask of _love,_" the fake princess spat out the word as it emphasized it, "a beast clothed itself in the visage of a _man_, hoping to win her _heart_," the figure giggled, a mockery of the princess' own, "and the _fool_ that she was, she believed it."

Before the furious king took another step the image suddenly turned towards him, the image's hair violently thrashing at the air as the fake's face came into view.

Bowser reeled back in shock, the grotesqueness of it made him stumble backwards.

The face had become rotten, white molted skin peeling away to a green color, its lips were devoid of the pink life that were in the real lips of the princess and were dark crimson. Its eyes were sunken into its skull, the normal whites of the eyes were bright yellow, its scalp wore a deep gash across it that pulsated every time it breathed.

The fake smiled when it saw the king become disgusted, opening its mouth to show its blackened, rotten teeth as its head started bobbing up and down.

"You see, we see," it pointed at Bowser with a gloved finger, "this is what you are," the fake princess began to walk towards him, "this is what you made."

As if to taunt the king more, the fake turned its head away only to come back with the real princess' face covering it.

"You have forgotten it all," the princess' voice accused him, "the _hate_ that you had, the _anger_ you had," it threw up its hands towards the sky that was now filled with dark clouds, "the **POWER** you had!"

It was now just within two feet of the king, the fake smelling of sulfur.

It smirked.

"All for her was it not? You couldn't have anyone see her as you let her spirit break in that cell."

"I needed more time for her to see me-"

"Aha! There's the rub! You WANTED her to see you, forced her to SEE you as-"

"I DID NOT!"

The thing then moved within just inches of the king's body, leaning itself forward.

"Just," it brought its gloved finger just near the top of Bowser's plastron, "more time," its touch squiggled down to his middle, "to perfect," it flicked its finger off of it, "your mask."

"I LOVE HER!"

"Do you?"

* * *

"Your nastiness!"

Bowser awoke with a start, his head bobbing over his chest, his shell still stuck in the ground firmly. If his body chemistry would have allowed he would have been in a cold sweat.

A blue robed koopa rushed through the trampled green grass towards his king, almost tripping each time the robe snuck under his feet.

The giant reptile shook his head, trying to shake the remnants of the dream from his mind. What he didn't realize was that a large amount of saliva had accumulated on his face.

Kamek discreetly wiped away some of it off his glasses with his robe before raising his wand in the air.

Without so much as a word the magician lifted the king into the air, the king not even fighting it as he was twisted in the air, chunks of earth falling from his shell as he was set back on his feet once more.

Wiping the smear of his mouths contents off his face, Bowser shook the remaining amount of grass off himself, almost like a dog after having a bath and enjoying the freedom of life outside the dreadful bathtub.

"Where have you been Kamek!"

The magikoopa looked shocked for a moment before starting to tremble.

_He's in one of his moods again._

"I-I came as fast as I-I could your majesty." Kamek stuttered.

Bowser's mouth twitched, "It seems you forget that," he leaned over the magi imposingly, "that," the king couldn't hold himself back as a smile broke forth, "I enjoy being here."

Shocked completely beyond belief, Kamek froze, his mouth slightly ajar.

Bowser walked past his councilor, bemused from his messing with the old koopa's head.

He had quickly bottled the disturbing dream, burying it deeply within himself, letting only the cold hard truth that the dream had occurred bother him.

_I am stronger then it. I DO love her._

After a few steps Kamek was once again at his side, babbling on about _economic crisis this, bad press that._

_Enough already! I want, scratch that, I _need_ to see her again before I go._

"And if you don't leave now-"

"I. Don't. Care." Bowser said as he pierced Kamek with a glare.

Kamek once again shifted his glasses, his voice giving away his nervousness.

"W-why yes I-I know that your m-majesty b-b-but-"

"Kamek!"

"...yes your majesty, as you wish."

With that and a swish of his robe, Kamek disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.

Bowser smiled to himself, feeling _slightly_ content with the events of the day. His brows creased though when it touched on a certain subject but was forcefully thrown to the side as a 'certain' search took more precedence.

With almost a skip in the giant koopa's step, he took off down the stony path out of nature. The king's steps echoed throughout the enclosed garden, the walls almost resonating with them, but, as soon as they stopped something stirred.

It was so insignificant that if you had blinked you would have missed it. The visible surroundings were altered very slightly as it moved through the air. With a cackle the form came into view.

A Boo, a ghost not the expression, bobbed about in mirth.

Pale white with small black eyes on the sphere shape of its body, gleaming white fangs reminiscent of a koopa's hung from its lips, a large red tongue every so often poking through the mouth.

Entertained by its mischief, it flew through the air towards another part of the castle, it's job now complete.

There was more scaring to do.

* * *

_This is all too much!_

Princess Peach was at the end of her rope, out of patience, and ready to throw the insurmountable stack of papers sealed with the many stamps of legislature out the window.

She was tempted to bite her lip but stopped herself as she remembered that Toadsworth worked at a oak desk just a few feet away. Her desk, a chestnut brown, was literally a mountain of papers that almost kept her from even being noticed biting her lip.

That was_ if_ she was going to test Toadsworth's powers of observation.

The princess's eyes returned back to the paper in front of her that was number two-hundred and thirty four out of a four-hundred page statement on what was better for the castle.

Fuchsia _or_ Magenta colored draperies.

Groaning inwardly, she pressed on as the urge to just hit her head against the desk continuously seemed attractive. A pendulum clock behind her kept on swinging back in forth in its monotonous motion, the ticking noise and the sound of Toadsworth's scrawls and scribbles ate away at the princess's sanity.

_Slowly but surely_, she thought,_ I'm going to go insane, just like Professor E,Gadd ._

Absentmindedly, Peach drummed her gloved hands on the wood work, leaning back into the barely padded elaborately wood worked chair as she turned another page. The words almost seemed to blur into a mess of black blobs, the various supported theories on why each color was _detrimental_ to the _mentality _and would effect-.

Peach rubbed her temple and strained to keep her eyes open as they began to droop.

Dust flew into the air as Toadsworth blew on a recently finished document, drying the ink with his breath as the bunnies that coated the desk floated into the evening sunlight. Shelves filled with books coated the walls as much as the dust that coated the stuffy room.

The princess gazed out the rectangular window out into the courtyard, wishing she could be out there again. Her thoughts continued on its tangent from the work though her pondering was not unnoticed by a certain fungi.

"Princess?"

Shocked out of her daze, Peach knocked over a stack of papers onto the floor along with a small copper container filled with ink that splashed all over her dress.

Without thinking the princess tried to wipe off the ink before she realized something.

She was only making things worse.

Chuckling, Toadsworth continued speaking.

"I know that you," he paused, "you are preoccupied by _his_ presence, but, where there's a will there's a way, princess."

Princess Peach sighed.

Her curiosity suddenly got the better of her when an odd question popped into her head.

"Were you ever," the princess trailed off.

The princess's cheeks warmed to a pale rouge as the old mushroom finished her sentence.

"In love?"

Toadsworth jumped from the large chair to the ground, taking a second to grab his walking stick before making his way slowly towards the window.

"I was, at one time."

He chuckled softly as his eyes took on a dazed look as he stared off into the distance.

"Zess.T was her name."

"The famous cook?" Peach blurted out before she could stop herself. Toadsworth seemed to ignore her outburst and continued on.

"The very same."

They both were silent as the princess digested this tidbit.

Toadsworth woke himself from his revere, turning to face the princess abruptly as he pushed his black spectacles further onto his face.

"Well, enough about times gone past. We both need to finish this mess of papers if we don't want to miss teatime."

The princess nodded in agreement, secretly pouting at not having her curiosity satisfied but rather having whetted its appetite.

"But," Toadsworth eyed the dark splotches on Peach's dress, "first things first."

Peach almost let out an inaudible screech when she realized what she had forgotten.

Nearly tripping over a series of books scattered about on the floor, she excused herself in a hurry, dashing out into one of the many expansive hallways of the castle.

Before she could even take another step in her pink high-heeled shoes the sounds of a scuffle made her pause. The muffled voices of Toads shouting "Stop!" and "Excuse me!" joining in a chorus till it almost seemed that it was almost on top of her.

One of the sounds out of the cacophony sounded strangely familiar and comforting, and yet as soon as she had heard it, it disappeared.

Shaking her head at the possibility, and her heart heavy, Princess Peach started her long walk towards her room. The long drawn out steps accented her desire to not return to her duties.

If only the princess had stayed in that hallway a few seconds longer she would have seen a huge giant with a multitude of toads hanging on for dear life.

Bowser, having not seen them, had just ploughed through the unfortunate servants going about their business. His mind was so focused that it just seemed like what we would describe as bugs hitting the window, without the death and guts spilling everywhere of course.

Screeching to a halt in front of the double doors, Bowser slightly felt a breeze as the numerous toads he had 'ran over' went flying past as he hastily grabbed the golden knobs.

He hesitated when his mind went blank, failing to come up with something witty to quip when entering. Shrugging it off, Bowser turned the knobs and threw both doors inwardly with gusto, deciding that just his presence would be enough to announce his entrance.

It always was.

As soon as the doors, that now hung on their hinges barely, flew open the innumerable amounts of papers stacked on both Princess Peach's and Toadsworth desk went flying into the air.

Bowser's eyes were closed, hands still hanging in the air, anxiously awaiting for the princess's voice to sing out his name, rush into his arms with haste and declare that she never wanted to leave him again.

At least, that's what played out in his head.

Unfortunately for the reptilian rapscallion, his dreams did not match reality.

* * *

_**A/N: I wonder who gave the job to the Boo...**_

_**(I get this odd feeling I've made Bowser OOC...also the whole 'E,Gadd' with a comma is because FanFiction can't recognize it with a period, grrrr...)  
**_


End file.
